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en-US2012 - VOA60Tue, 03 Mar 2015 17:49:59 -0500Pangea CMS – VOAUS House Approves Homeland Security FundingThe House of Representatives approved full fiscal-year funding for the U.S. domestic security agency on Tuesday, dealing a blow to conservative Republicans who had wanted the bill to include language blocking President Barack Obama's recent executive orders on immigration.
The House, in a 257-167 vote, backed a Senate-passed funding bill stripped of any immigration provisions, ending a bitter fight that raised new questions about House Speaker John Boehner's ability to manage fractious conservatives and brought the agency within hours of a partial shutdown last week.
Obama has said he will sign the funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, which spearheads domestic counterterrorism efforts. Spending authority for the department was scheduled to end at midnight on Friday.
After weeks of drama, Boehner was ultimately left with few – if any – viable procedural options to keep the agency open while also satisfying conservatives who wanted the funding bill to block Obama's executive actions last year lifting the threat of deportation for millions of undocumented residents.
Senate Democrats had repeatedly blocked a House-passed bill that included the immigration provisions, while Obama and Democrats backed a “clean” funding bill passed by the Senate.
“It's time to move forward and stop playing these silly games,” said Representative Charlie Dent, a moderate Pennsylvania Republican. “Let's prove to the American people that we're serious about protecting this homeland and that we have the capacity to govern.”
Several Republicans said they would be better served by putting their energy into legal strategies to overturn Obama's immigration actions, which have been put on hold by the courts.
“This is where we must focus our actions,” said Republican Representative Mike Simpson of Idaho.
Capitulation?
But some conservatives said the House was making a mistake by capitulating on the immigration battle.
“This is a very, very sad day,” said Republican Representative Matt Salmon of Arizona. “If we're not going to fight now, when are we going to fight?”
On Friday, the House rejected a three-week funding extension and voted to keep the lights on at Homeland Security for one week, seeking more time to battle Obama. But Boehner told Republican House members at a meeting on Tuesday that it was time to allow a vote on the provision-free Senate bill.
“The speaker made the case that he had hoped to continue to fight for three more weeks. Obviously we didn't win that vote last week, so we are where we are,” said Representative Luke Messer of Indiana, who chairs the Republican Policy Committee.
“It's disappointing. I had hoped we'd be able to continue to fight,” he said.
Boehner allowed the use of a procedural motion to bring up the Senate's funding bill, which passed the House with support from both moderate Republicans and House Democrats.
Bill provides almost $40 billion
The bill provides nearly $40 billion in funding for the agency, created after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, that secures U.S. borders, airports, coastal waters and other critical facilities.
Without the funding, the agency would have been forced to furlough about 30,000 employees, or about 15 percent of the agency's workforce, but about 200,000 others would have stayed on the job without pay, including airport and border security agents.
House speaker rebuffed
Boehner suffered an embarrassing setback last week when conservatives rebelled against his plan for a three-week extension, but some said they did not think his ultimate failure on the issue would threaten his leadership.
“I think anybody who's been watching this knew this is where we were going to end up back in December,” said Representative Thomas Massie, a conservative Republican from Kentucky.
http://www.voanews.com/content/us-house-approves-homeland-security-funding/2666519.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/us-house-approves-homeland-security-funding/2666519.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:48:13 -0500USAwebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)http://www.voanews.com/content/us-house-approves-homeland-security-funding/2666519.html#relatedInfoContainerInvestigation Finds Racial Bias Among Ferguson PolicePolice in Ferguson, Missouri, regularly engage in racially biased practices, the U.S. Justice Department has concluded in an investigation that followed last year's shooting death there of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown.
The Justice Department report is expected to be released as early as Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
The New York Times reported in January that Justice Department lawyers were recommending against bringing federal civil rights charges against the white police officer who killed Brown last August after a street confrontation turned violent.
Officials said an FBI investigation of the shooting found no evidence that the officer, Darren Wilson, willfully intended to violate Brown's rights when he opened fire on him.
A state grand jury cleared Wilson of Brown's death last November, a decision that triggered heated protests in the small, majority-black community near St. Louis, as well as across the country.
Brown's case – coupled with other high-profile incidents, including the police chokehold death of Eric Garner, a black man in New York – led to a widespread outcry over aggressive police tactics against African-Americans and other minorities.
The Justice Department has launched some 20 civil rights investigations of local police departments during outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder's time in office, including the probe of the Ferguson department.
http://www.voanews.com/content/investigation-finds-racial-bias-among-ferguson-police/2666494.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/investigation-finds-racial-bias-among-ferguson-police/2666494.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:17:33 -0500USAwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)http://www.voanews.com/content/investigation-finds-racial-bias-among-ferguson-police/2666494.html#relatedInfoContainerNetanyahu's US Speech Draws Mixed Response in IsraelIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's warning to the U.S. Congress that a nuclear deal with Iran would threaten Israeli and world security has elicited a mixed reaction at home.
Many are divided over whether Tuesday's speech in Washington was primarily a campaign maneuver as Israelis prepare for national elections in two weeks.
Addressing a combined session of Congress, Netanyahu said he was motivated only by deep concern over Iran's reported nuclear weapons program and its threat to Israeli security.
Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. And U.S. President Barack Obama said after the speech that the Israeli leader offered no alternative to negotiations to rollback and freeze Iran’s nuclear program.
The prime minister criticized the U.S.-led negotiations with Tehran that reportedly would limit Iran's capacity to build a nuclear weapon in exchange for a gradual lifting of sanctions against Iran.
“This deal has two major concessions: one, leaving Iran with a vast nuclear program; and two, lifting the restrictions on that program in about a decade. That's why this deal is so bad. It doesn't block Iran's path to the bomb. It paves Iran's path to the bomb," he said.
Netanyahu's appearance was criticized in the United States for being scheduled too close to Israel's elections and without consultations with the Obama administration.
In Israel it has been criticized as dividing the American public and undermining U.S. support for the Jewish state.
Isaac Herzog is the head of a center-left alliance that is Netanyahu's strongest election challenger. During a campaign rally Tuesday, he said the speech will not stop Iran's nuclear program and will not influence the negotiations.
Herzog said, "As a result this speech is a most serious sabotage to Israeli-US. relations." He added it would’t change the Obama administration's position and would just widen the split with Israel’s friend and only strategic ally.
An expert on U.S.-Israeli relations at Israel's Bar-Ilan University, Eytan Gilboa, said on Israeli (Channel One) television that Netanyahu's speech clearly showed what he called the huge gap between Israel and the United States on the Iranian issue.
Gilboa said President Obama's starting point was that it was not possible to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb, only to postpone it, and an agreement was the best way to achieve this. But he said Netanyahu's understanding was that the Iranian infrastructure must be dismantled so that it never got to the nuclear bomb.
The United States, the other members of the United Nations Security Council, Germany and Iran face a deadline at the end of March for an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program. But many Israelis and many American politicians remain wary of Iran because of its repeated threats against Israel, its past support for terrorism and its links to militant groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Netanyahu's supporters said an Iran armed with nuclear weapons could threaten Israel's existence and this is too important to be put on hold by any elections.
Some Israelis said the speech, though important, should have been postponed because it undermined the historically close relations with the United States.
Others believe the speech was aimed primarily at drawing votes from hard-line right wing parties that have criticized Netanyahu as being too soft on terrorism.
http://www.voanews.com/content/mixed-response-among-israelis-to-netanyahu-us-speech/2666463.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/mixed-response-among-israelis-to-netanyahu-us-speech/2666463.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 15:56:37 -0500Middle EastUSAwebdesk@voanews.com (Scott Bobb)http://www.voanews.com/content/mixed-response-among-israelis-to-netanyahu-us-speech/2666463.html#relatedInfoContainerSimulated Astronauts Get Taste of Mars, in HawaiiFor generations, people have dreamed of traveling to Mars to explore Earth's closest planetary neighbor. VOA's Mike O'Sullivan reports that while space agencies like NASA are planning manned missions to the planet, some volunteers in Hawaii are learning how humans will cope with months in isolation on a Mars base.http://www.voanews.com/media/video/simulated-astronauts-get-taste-of-mars-in-hawaii/2666427.html
http://www.voanews.com/media/video/simulated-astronauts-get-taste-of-mars-in-hawaii/2666427.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 15:41:00 -0500USAScience & Technologywebdesk@voanews.com (Mike O'Sullivan)http://www.voanews.com/media/video/simulated-astronauts-get-taste-of-mars-in-hawaii/2666427.html#relatedInfoContainerCyber War Rages Between Iran, USA newly published report indicates Iran and the United States have increased their cyber attacks on each other, even as their top diplomats are working toward an agreement to guarantee Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon and to free Iran from international sanctions. The development is part of a growing global trend. VOA’s Al Pessin reports from London.http://www.voanews.com/media/video/cyber-war-rages-between-iran-united-states/2666399.html
http://www.voanews.com/media/video/cyber-war-rages-between-iran-united-states/2666399.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 15:25:00 -0500Middle EastUSAScience & Technologywebdesk@voanews.com (Al Pessin)Gift Economies Strengthen CommunitiesRecycling has become routine in communities around the world. Cans, bottles, old newspapers are collected and repackaged. Unwanted clothes and toys are passed along to families in need. Now, grassroots organizations have set up local networks, to reuse all sorts of items. In these 'gift economies,' neighbors advertise things they don't want, and ask for what they'd like to have, and donors and recipients are brought together. Faiza Elmasry tells us about one of these - the Buy Nothing Project - whose mission is to help people clear out clutter, save money, reduce waste and create connected communities. Faith Lapidus narrates.http://www.voanews.com/media/video/2666373.html
http://www.voanews.com/media/video/2666373.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 15:09:00 -0500USAEconomywebdesk@voanews.com (Faiza Elmasry)http://www.voanews.com/media/video/2666373.html#relatedInfoContainerFederal Agents Raid 20 Suspected 'Maternity Hotels' in CaliforniaFederal agents raided about 20 Southern California locations on Tuesday suspected of involvement in "maternity tourism" schemes offering travel and lodging services to pregnant foreign women seeking to give birth in the United States, U.S. immigration officials said.
Authorities say the so-called maternity hotels targeted in the sweep catered largely to women from China who paid $15,000 to $50,000, depending on services provided, in hopes of obtaining U.S. citizenship for their children.
The locations searched included apartment complexes and other sites in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties that were suspected of housing foreign clients, according to a statement issued by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, or ICE.
No criminal arrests were anticipated from Tuesday's raids, which were carried out by federal agents and local law enforcement, the agency said.
The U.S. Constitution grants citizenship to any child born on U.S. soil, regardless of parentage, and immigration experts say there was nothing inherently illegal about women coming from abroad to give birth to children in the United States.
But investigators are seeking evidence related to such possible criminal offenses as visa and tax fraud, money laundering and conspiracy, immigration officials said.
Any women encountered at the locations raided on Wednesday were to be interviewed, and those identified as potential material witnesses will be instructed where and when to report for further questioning, ICE said.
Businesses engaged in maternity tourism, also known as "birth tourism," are believed to have been operating for several years, relying on websites, newspaper advertising and social media to promote their services, immigration officials said.
Based on the results of previous investigations, the women who subscribe apparently pay cash for pre-natal medical treatment and actual delivery of their babies.
As part of the package, clients were promised they would receive Social Security numbers and U.S. passports for their infants — documentation the mothers would take with them when they returned to their home countries, ICE said.
Once the children, who by birth are U.S. citizens, reach adulthood they can apply for visas for family members living abroad.
More expensive packages "include recreational activities, such as visits to Disneyland, shopping malls and even an outing to a firing range," the ICE statement said.
The practices came to public attention in California in recent years when residents of some Los Angeles-area communities complained about what they said were maternity hotels springing up in their neighborhoods, causing sanitation and other issues.
In a story VOA did on the unlicensed clinics in 2013, Chinese Americans expressed their wish to see them closed.
"We feel very bad about this kind of operation, and we sure hope the government does something about it," said Wai-Min Liu of the Chinese American Association in Chino Hills, near Los Angeles.
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-federal-agents-raid-20-suspected-maternity-hotel-california/2666300.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-federal-agents-raid-20-suspected-maternity-hotel-california/2666300.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 14:31:45 -0500USAwebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-federal-agents-raid-20-suspected-maternity-hotel-california/2666300.html#relatedInfoContainerCyber War Rages Between Iran, USA newly published report indicates Iran and the United States have increased their cyber attacks on each other, even as their top diplomats are working toward an agreement to guarantee Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon and to free Iran from international sanctions. The development is part of a growing global trend.
The top U.S. and Iranian diplomats have been holding almost weekly meetings, to try to finish the accord by their deadline at the end of March. But behind the scenes of collegiality, an active cyber war is raging.
According to a website called The Intercept, which draws on secret U.S. government documents made public by Edward Snowden. It published details of a U.S. National Security Agency paper, written two years ago, that calls for a more robust U.S. response to Iran’s improved cyber warfare abilities.
The report says Iran learned from a virus called Stuxnet inserted into its nuclear program, allegedly by U.S. and Israeli intelligence services in 2012.
Iran's capabilities
That incident may have shown Iranian leaders the value of cyber warfare capabilities, as compared to expensive, controversial and highly deadly nuclear weapons, according to cyber warfare expert David Stupples of City University London.
“Iran have now realized they have a much stronger weapon at hand," he said. "If they pour resources into that, they can continually attack and continually get payoffs from their activities, quite cheaply.”
A basic form of cyber attack is shown in a video produced by Stupples’ team from an actual incident.
“This is the website servicing each of the requests that come in, and you see the answers going back. Where it goes to start being bright, it means the website is becoming quite heavily loaded," said Stupples. "So all the requests are coming in, but nothing is going back. Essentially, the website is completely closed down.”
Such overload, or ‘denial of service’ attacks, are irritating, but real problems come when cyber attacks steal or destroy data, as happened in the attack on Sony Pictures last year, allegedly by North Korea. Such attacks also could put people at risk by overheating power plants or taking services like highway signals or air traffic control off line.
Growing threat
A year ago, the new head of the U.S. National Security Agency, Admiral Mike Rogers, told Congress cyber warfare is here to stay.
"Clearly, cyber will be an element of almost any crisis we are going to see in the future," said Rogers. "It has been in the past, I believe we see it today in the Ukraine, we've seen it in Syria, Georgia, it increasingly is becoming a norm.”
There also is concern that terrorist groups could move into the cyber domain, said Rachel Briggs of London’s Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
“We know that extremists are trying to use technology in the same way that they use wires and batteries. They have not so far, as far as we know, been successful. It will only be a matter of time,” she said.
Cyber attacks are inexpensive, secret, deniable, and while frequent are largely unknown to the public, potentially making them more attractive to terrorists and governments than conventional or nuclear weapons.
http://www.voanews.com/content/cyber-war-rages-between-iran-united-states/2666299.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/cyber-war-rages-between-iran-united-states/2666299.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 14:20:31 -0500Middle EastUSAScience & Technologywebdesk@voanews.com (Al Pessin)http://www.voanews.com/content/cyber-war-rages-between-iran-united-states/2666299.html#relatedInfoContainerGift Economies Strengthen CommunitiesFor Liesl Clark, the inspiration for what would become the Buy Nothing Project came during a trip to Nepal. “We spent a lot of time living in villages with local people who really care for each other,” she said of her time working overseas.
“They live in modern-day gift economies that certainly have gone for centuries. These are cash-free, cashless cultures. There are no stores in the villages and so they’re sharing communal resources. After having seen this over and over again, my friend Rebecca Rockefeller and I started asking, is this something that we could do in our own hometown?”
Some of the infrastructure for the project was already in place. Recycling has become pretty routine in communities around the U.S. so the idea of reusing cans, bottles, old newspapers, all kinds of things was part of the local ethos. Extending that idea to everything from unwanted clothes and toys to books and services was a simple jump.
Add the power of the Internet and some inspired grassroots organizations willing to set up local networks, and suddenly a community can reuse all sorts of items.
In these 'gift economies,' neighbors advertise things they don't want, and ask for what they'd like to have, and donors and recipients are brought together.
Give freely, share creatively
Clark and Rockefeller's network is called the Buy Nothing Project. Its mission: help people clear out clutter, save money, reduce waste and create connected communities.
The two friends started a Facebook page for their first Buy Nothing group on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, Washington, in 2013. There are now 580 groups.
“We’re in 12 nations," Clark said. "We have over 100,000 members. I’d say it’s approaching 110,000 members worldwide, and a volunteer network of about 750 volunteers from all over the world.”
One of those volunteers is Kristi Guidry, who set up a Buy Nothing group in the Washington suburb of Reston, Virginia, three months ago. It already has more than 200 members.
From Facebook to face-to-face
Both “gifters” and “giftees” meet on Facebook to post the items they’re offering or ask for what they’re looking for. When there's a match, they get together to pass along the item. Guidry says the idea is to pool resources and reuse items before buying something new.
“[It's] everything you can imagine, really," Guidry said. “We‘ve got people that are giving items: book, cookware and furniture. My husband has been looking for computer parts so he can build computers on his own." Other members offer what Guidry calls 'gifts of self:' "their time and personal services, things like helping people clean, babysitting, go out to lunch just for company. So really people just make a post on our Facebook page. We operate everything through our Facebook page.”
The concept fits Maggie Terry's lifestyle and ideals.
“I work for an environmental organization and what’s important to me is the idea that things don’t end up in a landfill,” she explained. ”So I was really excited to think that the things that I’m keeping just because I didn’t want to throw away not because I need them still could go to somebody who really would need them and get enjoyment out of them.”
Kim Lysik Di Santi joined Buy Nothing Reston a few weeks ago, after she heard about it from a friend, and the idea appealed to her, "because I’ve been for a while wanting to watch my purchase decisions because of the fact that things get cluttery in the house.”
Guidry says the mission of the Buy Nothing movement offers a life lesson for her children. “I’m really trying to encourage them to kind of let go of things because things don’t necessarily matter what does matter is the connection that you have with other people.”
That sense of community is an added benefit of the local gift economy.
http://www.voanews.com/content/gift-economies-strengthen-communities/2666265.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/gift-economies-strengthen-communities/2666265.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 14:09:29 -0500USAEconomywebdesk@voanews.com (Faiza Elmasry)http://www.voanews.com/content/gift-economies-strengthen-communities/2666265.html#relatedInfoContainerSources: House to Vote on Security Bill Without Immigration ProvisionsU.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner told Republicans the House would vote later on Tuesday on a Senate bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security for the rest of the fiscal year without restrictions on President Barack Obama's immigration actions, members at the meeting said.
The vote would likely end the legislative confrontation over funding for the agency that spearheads domestic counterterrorism operations. The department's current spending authority ends at midnight on Friday.
Conservative House Republicans have demanded the spending legislation include language that would block Obama's executive orders lifting the threat of deportation for millions of undocumented residents, but Obama and Democrats have backed the so-called 'clean' funding bill passed by the Senate.
Last Friday, the House voted to keep the lights on at the agency for one week to give them more time to work out a strategy for battling Obama's immigration actions, but Boehner told Republican House members at a meeting on Tuesday that he would allow a vote on the Senate bill.
Senate Democrats have repeatedly blocked the House-passed bill that includes the immigration provisions. The clean Senate bill is likely to pass the House with support from moderate Republicans and House Democrats. Obama has said he would sign it.
The bill provides nearly $40 billion in funding for the agency that secures U.S. borders, airports and coastal waters. Without it, the agency would be forced to furlough about 30,000 employees, or about 15 percent of the workforce.
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-sources-say-us-house-to-vote-on-security-bill-without-immigration-provisions/2666084.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-sources-say-us-house-to-vote-on-security-bill-without-immigration-provisions/2666084.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 12:11:37 -0500USAwebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)Israeli PM Makes Case Against Iran's Nuclear Ambitions to Congress Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he felt a "profound obligation to speak" to U.S. Congress members Tuesday about an issue that could threaten the survival of his country: Iran's quest for nuclear weapons.http://www.voanews.com/media/photogallery/israeli-pm-makes-case-against-irans-nuclear-ambitions-to-congress/2666060.html
http://www.voanews.com/media/photogallery/israeli-pm-makes-case-against-irans-nuclear-ambitions-to-congress/2666060.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 11:58:00 -0500USAPetraeus Admits to Mishandling Classified DocumentsThe former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, retired Army general David Petraeus, has reached a plea agreement with the U.S. Justice Department in connection with the mishandling of classified government material.
The legal move means Petraeus will avoid what could have been an embarrassing trial including details of his affair with an Army Reserve officer that led to his downfall.
Under the plea agreement, Petraeus agreed to plead guilty to one count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material after sharing materials with biographer and mistress Paula Broadwell, a former Army Reserve officer.
The agreement caps a lengthy period of uncertainty for Petraeus, who resigned as CIA director in November of 2012 after details emerged about his extramarital affair with Broadwell.
“I’m glad that the plea agreement was reached," said Michael Rubin, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute who worked on Iraq policy at the Defense Department during the administration of President George W. Bush. “It’s important that everyone be accountable to the law no matter who they are and how high they are in the United States national security structure.”
But there were critics of the deal as well. Sam Husseini, with ExposeFacts, an organization that encourages and supports government whistleblowers, said the Petraeus deal was too lenient.
“This administration has gone after more whistle-blowers than all previous administrations combined for leaking information that they don’t like," he said. "But it’s perfectly fine when high officials leak information that the administration apparently does like. That’s not a rule of law. That is a rule of convenience.”
Petraeus became one of the nation’s best known military figures after his service in Iraq where he directed a surge of U.S. forces in 2006 that rolled back gains made by al-Qaida militants who had taken control of several major cities and provinces.
The counter-insurgency strategy championed by Petraeus helped to stabilize Iraq and set the stage for the withdrawal of U.S. forces several years later. Petraeus later led U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Petraeus achieved a certain celebrity in the wake of his success in Iraq, especially in Washington. Some Republicans openly raised the possibility of Petraeus possibly running for president for a time. President Obama appointed him CIA director in September of 2011.
Rubin said General Petraeus and his fall from grace will be seen as a cautionary tale for all future aspiring public figures.
“What ultimately undercut General Petraeus was his own ego," said Rubin. "He was giving classified material to his biographer, perhaps one could even say his hagiographer. It was completely superfluous, it wasn’t necessary and yet he allowed it to happen.”
But Rubin also said Petraeus will be remembered for his role in leading the surge in Iraq and what many regard as a brilliant military career.
“Ultimately I think this scandal is going to be a footnote in history," he said. "What General Petraeus is going to be remembered for first and foremost is going to be the surge. But even before the surge in Iraq, General Petraeus had quite a storied career spanning all sorts of battlefields and this is going to survive what in effect is a minor stumble on the path to greatness.”
The plea agreement carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison. Prosecutors in the case have recommended two years of probation and no prison time, but a federal judge will eventually decide what punishment Petraeus will face.
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-former-cia-director-petraeus-pleads-guilty-to-federal-charge/2666047.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-former-cia-director-petraeus-pleads-guilty-to-federal-charge/2666047.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 11:52:04 -0500USAwebdesk@voanews.com (Jim Malone)http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-former-cia-director-petraeus-pleads-guilty-to-federal-charge/2666047.html#relatedInfoContainerLawyer: Snowden in Talks for US ReturnA Russian lawyer for Edward Snowden said on Tuesday the fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor who leaked details of the government's mass surveillance programs was working with American and German lawyers to return home.
Anatoly Kucherena, who has links to the Kremlin, was speaking at a news conference to present a book he has written about his client. Moscow granted Snowden asylum in 2013, straining already tense ties with Washington.
"I won't keep it secret that he... wants to return back home. And we are doing everything possible now to solve this issue. There is a group of U.S. lawyers, there is also a group of German lawyers and I'm dealing with it on the Russian side."
The United States wants Snowden to stand trial for leaking extensive secrets of electronic surveillance programs by the National Security Agency (NSA).
Russia has repeatedly refused to extradite him.
Snowden has said in the past he would like to return home if he was assured he would be given a fair trial.
A deeply divisive figure, Snowden is praised by some as a civil rights campaigner and whistleblower and condemned by others as a traitor who had compromised U.S. security. Kucherena said last August Snowden had been granted a three-year residence permit in Russia.
http://www.voanews.com/content/lawyer-says-snowden-in-talks-for-us-return/2666033.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/lawyer-says-snowden-in-talks-for-us-return/2666033.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 11:39:01 -0500USAEuropeMobile Top Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)http://www.voanews.com/content/lawyer-says-snowden-in-talks-for-us-return/2666033.html#relatedInfoContainerMichelle Obama to Head to Asia to Promote Girls' EducationFirst lady Michelle Obama will travel to Japan and Cambodia this month as part of a U.S. global effort to support education for girls, the White House said on Tuesday.
She will visit Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan from March 18 to March 20, and the Cambodian city of Siem Reap from March 21 to 22, it said in a statement.
The initiative aims to reduce the number of girls — 62 million worldwide — who do not attend school, according to the administration.
The effort, launched last summer through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will use the Peace Corps volunteer program to help expand access for schooling for girls, especially for teenagers.
Cambodia is one of 11 countries targeted by the Peace Corp initiative during the program's first year, the White House said. The other countries are: Albania, Benin, Burkina Faso, Georgia, Ghana, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Togo, and Uganda.
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-michelle-obama-to-promote-girls-education-in-asia/2665934.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-michelle-obama-to-promote-girls-education-in-asia/2665934.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 10:38:22 -0500USAAsiawebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-michelle-obama-to-promote-girls-education-in-asia/2665934.html#relatedInfoContainerHillary Clinton Draws Fire Over Personal EmailsLikely 2016 U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton used a personal email account to conduct official business as secretary of state, according to the State Department.
The New York Times reported the revelation, saying Clinton may have violated federal records laws that require archiving official government documents.
"Her aides took no actions to have her personal emails preserved on department servers at the time, as required by the Federal Records Act," the newspaper reported.
The Times said Clinton "exclusively" used a private account during her four years at the State Department and did not have a government email address.
The report is drawing even more scrutiny because of Clinton's expected place in the 2016 presidential election. She is widely seen as the frontrunner for the Democratic Party nomination.
Clinton is not the only secretary of state to conduct official business via private email, but political analysts say doing so for all correspondence is unusual. In a statement issued in response to the article, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said current Secretary of State John Kerry is the first "to rely primarily on a state.gov email account."
A spokesman for Clinton, Nick Merrill, told the Times she has complied with the "letter and spirit of the rules," and that she had "every expectation" her emails with other State Department officials "would be retained."
Harf, meanwhile, said the State Department "has long had access to a wide array of Secretary Clinton's records, including emails between her and Department officials with state.gov accounts."
"Last year, the Department sent a letter to representatives of former secretaries of state requesting they submit any records in their possession for proper preservation as part of our effort to continually improve our records preservation and management," said Harf. "In response to our request, Secretary Clinton provided the Department with emails spanning her time at the Department."
The Times said Clinton's personal email account was discovered by a House committee investigating the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens, died. Clinton was secretary of state at the time and faced scrutiny over her handling of the incident.
After reviewing the emails Clinton turned over, the State Department said it provided about 300 emails to the committee.
The news of Clinton's private emails quickly generated responses on Twitter. "Transparency matters," tweeted former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, potential Republican presidential candidate and brother of former President George W. Bush. "Unclassified @HillaryClinton emails should be released," he added. Bush released tens of thousands of his own emails from his time as governor in December and included a link to them in his post about Clinton's emails.
The vulnerability of personal email to hackers is another concern. The Times said "it is not clear whether Mrs. Clinton's private email account included encryption or other security measures, given the sensitivity of her diplomatic activity."
http://www.voanews.com/content/hillary-clinton-used-personal-email-for-state-department-business/2665906.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/hillary-clinton-used-personal-email-for-state-department-business/2665906.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 10:23:37 -0500USAwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)Israeli PM: Iran Nuclear Talks Are 'Very Bad Deal'Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said negotiations underway between the United States and Iran would “guarantee” that Tehran would get nuclear weapons, a threat not only to the Middle East but to the world.
In an appearance before the U.S. Congress that has drawn controversy, Netanyahu stressed to lawmakers the grave danger that a nuclear Iran poses to his country.
"If the deal now being negotiated is accepted by Iran, that deal will not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons – it will all but guarantee that Iran will get those nuclear weapons - lots of them," he said.
Iran is sponsoring terrorism around the world, Netanyahu said, adding that Tehran's regime was "as radical as ever," could not be trusted and the deal being worked out with the United States would not block Iran's way to a bomb "but paves its way to a bomb."
"We've been told that no deal is better than a bad deal. Well this is a bad deal, a very bad deal," he said. "We're better off without it."
Later Tuesday, President Barack Obama, who said he did not watch the speech but read the transcript, said there was "nothing new" in Netanyahu's remarks Tuesday, insisting the Israeli leader did not offer a better alternative to negotiations.
Netanyahu "did not offer any viable alternative," Obama said, speaking from the Oval Office. "We don't yet have a deal. But if we are successful, this will be the best deal possible with Iran to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon."
Obama said Netanyahu's alternative to talks amounts to no deal at all, adding that would lead Iran to redouble efforts to build a nuclear bomb.
Regret over politicized event
Netanyahu was given a rousing standing ovation as he arrived on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday. He immediately tried to defuse the tension caused when House Speaker John Boehner invited him to speak without consulting the White House.
"I regret that some see my appearance here as political," Netanyahu said, adding that he was grateful to Obama for his public and private support of Israel, including U.S. military assistance and contributions to Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system.
"We appreciate all that President Obama has done for Israel," he added.
Nearly 60 Democratic members stayed away from the event, during which Netanyahu warned members that a nuclear deal being negotiated between the United States and Iran would threaten Israel's security.
“This was a speech the American people needed to hear, plain and simple," Boehner said in a statement. " It addressed the gravity of the threats we face and why we cannot allow a nuclear Iran, or any semblance of a path to a nuclear Iran. It demonstrated why there is such deep-seated -- and bipartisan -- concern about the deal that is being made.”
“Some people feel the prime minister should not be here at this time, because in a couple weeks there will be an election in Israel," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said. "My business is to find out what's best for America when it comes to defending our nation. I do not think I can adequately do my job if I do not hear from the prime minister of Israel."
Netanyahu said Iran and its leaders pose a threat not only to Israel and the Middle East, but also to nations worldwide and called for action over Iran's nuclear program.
Many of Netanyahu's comments were greeted by loud applause from U.S. lawmakers, and not just Republicans. But not everyone was persuaded by his rhetoric.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California conspicuously refrained from applauding on several occasions. And when the Israeli leader called for holding out for a better deal with Iran, she shook her head in disagreement.
"As one who values the U.S.-Israel relationship, and loves Israel, I was near tears throughout the prime minister’s speech -- saddened by the insult to the intelligence of the United States as part of the P5 +1 nations, and saddened by the condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran and our broader commitment to preventing nuclear proliferation," Pelosi said in a statement.
Iran sanctions
Netanyahu, who faces a closely contested March 17 election in Israel, said he thinks the so-called P5+1 group of global powers is planning to ease international sanctions without the ironclad safeguards needed to deny Tehran a nuclear bomb.
As a result, he predicted Iran would be able to finance more terrorism in the region and the world.
The U.S. administration says that is just not true, and warned that Netanyahu's speech could unravel the negotiations if he mobilizes U.S. lawmakers in the Republican-held Congress against it.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said earlier Tuesday, "We [Democrats and Republicans] are in common purpose: to stop the development of a nuclear Iran. What troubles me greatly are the criticisms I have heard on this floor about the Obama administration and this issue. ... It was President Obama who really brought together the sanctions regime that is working to bring Iran to the negotiating table.”
The deal, as it now stands, would give Tehran some limited ability to enrich uranium --- but Israel wants Iran stripped of its nuclear projects all together to ensure it can't pursue a bomb.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday that Netanyahu is trying to affect negotiations over Iran's nuclear program with his upcoming address to both chambers of the U.S. Congress.
“He's trying to, and I don't think trying to create tension and conflict helps anyone,” Zarif said to CNN outside talks in Switzerland with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Michael Bowman and Cindy Saine contributed to this report. Some material for this report came from Reuters, AP and AFP.
http://www.voanews.com/content/israeli-prime-minister-to-make-case-against-irans-nuclear-ambitions-to-congress/2665829.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/israeli-prime-minister-to-make-case-against-irans-nuclear-ambitions-to-congress/2665829.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 09:27:06 -0500Middle EastUSAMobile Top Newswebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)http://www.voanews.com/content/israeli-prime-minister-to-make-case-against-irans-nuclear-ambitions-to-congress/2665829.html#relatedInfoContainerKerry Seeks to Ease Gulf Concerns About Iran Nuclear DealU.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is traveling Wednesday to Saudi Arabia, where he will try to assure Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members that an Iran nuclear deal would not lead to regional instability.
Kerry and GCC foreign ministers will meet on Thursday at the Riyadh Air Base. The group includes the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Later Thursday, Kerry will hold talks with Saudi King Salman at his ranch northwest of Riyadh, and meet other officials, including the country’s foreign and interior ministers.
Kerry’s meetings with Gulf officials come at a time when Iran nuclear negotiators are nearing a critical deadline. Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, the so-called P5 + 1 are working against a self-imposed March 31 deadline to reach a framework agreement.
The secretary will travel to Saudi Arabia from Montreux, Switzerland, where he is holding three days of nuclear related talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Regional Powers Jittery Over Potential Deal
In a Tuesday briefing, a senior State Department official said “obviously, the Gulf states are watching the negotiations very carefully.”
The official said the U.S. has been extremely “forward leaning” in trying to explain its Iran nuclear strategies.
“But also to explain that this is not going to change any of the other aspects of our approach to Iran in regard to the other things that are of concern to the Gulf,” the official added.
Gulf state officials have expressed concern that a nuclear deal with Iran, which would end sanctions related to its nuclear program, could bolster Iran’s economic clout and its Shi’ite Muslim influence in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced similar concerns in a Tuesday speech to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress. He claimed that Iran now “dominates” four Arab capitals - Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut and Sana’a.
“If Iran’s aggression is left unchecked, more will surely follow,” he said, as he laid out his opposition to an Iran nuclear deal.
The senior State Department official said regardless of nuclear developments, the U.S. will continue to “confront aggressively Iranian expansion in the region.”
Kerry, Zarif in Closed-Door Talks
The P5 + 1 negotiators are hoping to secure a final agreement by July 1 that would curb Iran’s paths to nuclear weapons. They are seeking a plan that includes limits on Tehran’s uranium enrichment levels.
During a break between sessions with Zarif, Kerry told reporters, “We’re working away, productively.”
Separately, Zarif said, "We are moving and we are talking to be able to make progress.”
Kerry, Gulf Leaders to Address Yemen’s Unrest
The senior State Department official said Kerry also will discuss Yemen’s unrest with Gulf officials. Shi'ite rebel Houthis seized control of the capital in January and placed U.S.-backed Sunni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi under house arrest. Earlier this month, Mr. Hadi fled detention and went to a new base in the southern city of Aden.
The senior State Department official said U.S. ambassador to Yemen Matthew Tueller had a good meeting with the embattled president in Aden Monday. The official said Ambassador Tueller is establishing an office in Jeddeh, Saudi Arabia, “in order to be closer to the situation in Yemen.” In February, the U.S. suspended operations at its embassy in Sana’a, citing security concerns.
The official said Kerry and other officials will tell the GCC states that the U.S. believes the only way forward in Yemen is through a continuation of political negotiations that have been led by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and special envoy Jamal Benomar.
The U.N. has been working to get Yemen’s political parties to fully engage in talks. On Tuesday, Mr. Hadi suggested Riyadh as a possible venue for the resumption of the talks.
Concern about Islamic State in Iraq and Syria
Kerry and GCC state officials also are expected to discuss efforts to fight Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
The senior State Department official said GCC states have been “strong partners” in efforts to combat IS, noting that Saudi Arabia had agreed to work with the U.S. in establishing a facility to train and equip Syria’s moderate opposition. The official said the facility will be launched in Saudi Arabia “in the coming months.”
After his talks in Saudi Arabia, Kerry is scheduled to meet with officials in London and Paris before returning to Washington.
http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-zarif-continue-nuclear-talks/2665609.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-zarif-continue-nuclear-talks/2665609.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 05:18:17 -0500Middle EastUSAMobile Top Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Pamela Dockins)http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-zarif-continue-nuclear-talks/2665609.html#relatedInfoContainerSouth Korea Criticizes US Official’s Comments on 'Comfort Women’South Korean politicians and media have criticized recent comments by a senior U.S. official, saying she appeared to be taking sides with Japan in historical and other disputes with its neighbors South Korea and China.
Wendy Sherman, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, told a Washington conference on Friday that disputes over history, including the issue of comfort women who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II, were major obstacles to progress in relations between Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo. Sherman warned political leaders against using the historical disputes for political gains.
“Of course, nationalist feelings can still be exploited, and it’s not hard for a political leader anywhere to earn cheap applause by vilifying a former enemy. But such provocations produce paralysis, not progress,” the diplomat said.
Sherman’s comments drew widespread criticism from South Korea. Politicians from both conservative and liberal parties condemned her remarks, accusing the U.S. official of being insensitive to the suffering of Koreans under Japanese colonial rule. Some accused Sherman of taking sides with Japan by turning a blind eye to the country’s wartime atrocities.
“A senior U.S. official has taken sides with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in his efforts to whitewash the colonial misdeeds of his country,” The Korea Times, an English daily in South Korea, argued.
Washington has been trying not to get tangled in the dispute between the allies. On Monday, the State Department tried to play down the controversy by condemning Japan’s wartime actions, while calling on all sides to make efforts to resolve the issue.
“The trafficking of women for sexual purposes by the Japanese military during World War II was a terrible, egregious violation of human rights. President Obama has said it is in the interest of both the Japanese and the Korean people to look forward as well as backwards and to find ways in which the heartache and the pain of the past can be resolved, because the interests today of the Korean and Japanese people so clearly converge,” said a State Department official.
Some historians estimate that as many as 200,000 comfort women were forced into the Japanese Army’s brothels during World War II. Recently, Japan’s government has launched an intensive campaign to promote a different portrayal of the issue, claiming the comfort women were professional prostitutes, drawing strong protests from South Korea.
http://www.voanews.com/content/south-korea-criticizes-us-officials-comments-on-comfort-women/2665589.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/south-korea-criticizes-us-officials-comments-on-comfort-women/2665589.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 03:30:37 -0500USAAsiawebdesk@voanews.com (Joan Boo)http://www.voanews.com/content/south-korea-criticizes-us-officials-comments-on-comfort-women/2665589.html#relatedInfoContainerNetanyahu to Press Iranian Nuclear Concerns in US Congress SpeechIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to again press his opposition to the ongoing negotiations over Iran's nuclear program as he delivers an address Tuesday to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress.
The Israeli leader has long portrayed a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential threat to his country and criticized what he says are too many concessions by a group of world powers at the talks.
Ahead of the Congressional address, which arose from an unusual invitation from House Speaker John Boehner instead of the White House, Netanyahu told a pro-Israeli group in Washington that the U.S. and Israel agree on the need to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons, but not on how to achieve that goal.
He told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that the disagreement with the U.S. comes from different perspectives, because Washington worries about security, while Israel must worry about survival.
Obama agreed about where the two countries differ in an interview with the Reuters news agency at the White House Monday afternoon. He said there is "substantial disagreement" about how to achieve their shared goal of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
"If, in fact, Iran is willing to agree to double-digit years of keeping their program where it is right now and, in fact, rolling back elements of it that currently exist ... if we've got that, and we've got a way of verifying that, there's no other steps we can take that would give us such assurance that they don't have a nuclear weapon," Obama said.
But he said the rift will not be "permanently destructive" to U.S.-Israeli ties.
Netanyahu said in his Monday speech that he respects President Obama, and that the relationship between Israel and the U.S. remains strong.
He also said as prime minister he has a "moral obligation" to point out the dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran. He added that disagreement and debate between allies are a normal part of close relationships, and that the U.S. and Israel have overcome previous sharp disagreements.
Earlier Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said any deal the United States accepts will make the international community, "especially Israel" safer. Washington’s ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said the partnership between the U.S. and Israel “transcends politics” and “always will.”
Meanwhile, Kerry met with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Monday as the latest round of nuclear talks began. The group that includes Britain, China, France, Russia, the U.S. and Germany is offering Iran relief from damaging economic sanctions in return for restrictions on Iran's nuclear program.
Iran has long insisted it is not developing nuclear weapons, and instead wants to use nuclear material for things like medical research and generating power.
http://www.voanews.com/content/netanyahu-to-press-iranian-nuclear-concerns-in-us-congress-speech/2665560.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/netanyahu-to-press-iranian-nuclear-concerns-in-us-congress-speech/2665560.htmlTue, 03 Mar 2015 01:25:00 -0500Middle EastUSAwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)http://www.voanews.com/content/netanyahu-to-press-iranian-nuclear-concerns-in-us-congress-speech/2665560.html#relatedInfoContainerObama Hopes for US Embassy in Cuba Before April SummitU.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday he hopes the United States will open an embassy in Cuba by the time of a Western Hemisphere summit in Panama in mid-April.
In an interview with Reuters, Obama also cautioned that it will take more time to fully establish normal relations with Cuba after more than a half-century rupture.
“My hope is that we will be able to open an embassy, and that some of the initial groundwork will have been laid” before the April 10-11 Summit of the Americas in Panama City, Obama said.
“Keep in mind that our expectation has never been that we would achieve full normal relations immediately. There's a lot of work that still has to be done,” he said.
In a historic agreement, Washington and Havana announced on Dec. 17 that they planned to restore diplomatic relations following 18 months of secret talks.
Two rounds of “normalization” talks in Havana and Washington have since made quick progress toward renewing official ties.
Cuba is keen to have Washington's official recognition of its one-party system run by the Cuban Communist Party, while the Obama administration believes establishing formal relations will strengthen its hand in Latin America where longstanding U.S. efforts to isolate Cuba have failed resoundingly.
After the “last round of talks on Friday, the head of the United States division at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Josefina Vidal, told Cuban state media that Havana was willing to restore diplomatic relations as soon as the Obama administration declares its intent to take the Caribbean island off a list of state sponsors of terrorism.
It is the first time Cuba has said publicly it is willing to restore relations before it is removed from the list.
While critics, including some members of Congress, have called the end of U.S. attempts to isolate Cuba a gift to the authoritarian Cuban government, Obama said there are already signs it is prompting Havana to liberalize.
“We are going down a path in which we can open up our relations to Cuba in a way that ultimately will prompt more change in Cuba. And we're already seeing it,” the U.S. president said.
“The very fact that, since our announcement, the Cuban government has begun to discuss ways in which they are going to reorganize their economy to accommodate for possible foreign investment, that's already forcing a series of changes that promises to open up more opportunities for entrepreneurs,” he said.
“And that's always been the premise of this policy; that, after 50 years of a policy that didn't work, we need to try something new that encourages and ultimately I think forces the Cuban government to engage in a modern economy. And that will create more space for freedom for the Cuban people,” Obama said.
Both U.S. and Cuban negotiating teams came out of Friday's talks in Washington in an upbeat mood but did not set a date for formal renewal of diplomatic relations that were severed in 1961.
The two countries, politically at odds since soon after Cuba's revolution in 1959, currently have diplomats working in each other's capitals, but they operate from what are known as Interests Sections.
The head of the U.S. delegation, Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson, said she was “optimistic” about the renewal of relations before the Panama summit.
Vidal, the head of the Cuban negotiators, later told state media that it could take place before both sides are ready to open embassies.
“In our view it's not necessary to put it all in one package because if, for example, in a few weeks we receive some satisfactory notification in regards to the matter of Cuba's removal from the terrorist list, I think we will be ready to then begin talking about how to formalize the re-establishing of relations,” Vidal said in an interview published in Cubadebate, a state media outlet.
Delinking the opening of embassies could make it easier for diplomatic relations to be renewed prior to the Panama summit. The Obama administration is nearing completion of its review of Cuba's place on the list, but it must be submitted to Congress before the country can be removed after a 45-day wait period, U.S. officials say.
Cuba was added to the terrorism sponsors list in 1982 when it backed insurgencies during the Cold War. More recently it has earned credit for aiding an ongoing peace process with Colombia's left-wing FARC guerrillas.
A U.S. State Department representative said on Monday that Washington was focused on getting both done before the summit.
“We believe re-establishment of diplomatic relations and opening of embassies should be done together. With will on both sides, we can get them done before the Summit,” the person said.
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-obama-hopes-for-us-embassy-in-cuba-before-april-summit/2665521.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-obama-hopes-for-us-embassy-in-cuba-before-april-summit/2665521.htmlMon, 02 Mar 2015 23:02:16 -0500USAAmericaswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)